Eydis
by snow1010
Summary: Melaina, a Guardian of Eydis, has to choose between her life from the Keepers or a new life with the Searchers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I reclined on the branches, scanning the jungle. No threats, just the sound of chirping from the birds. I laid my head on my black paws. Another boring day on the job, guarding the Eydis grounds. Nobody was coming for it. Why did they set up so many watches for it? My long tail waved lazily. I wished for something to do besides to just lay here.

I descended from the tree's branches, landing silently. The sun beat down on my back, making me feel hot and itchy. I scented the air. There's the faint smell of humans touring Tulum, some nearby prey and something else. I leapt into another tree and waited. I could smell the prey coming, a young deer. It wandered into my line of sight and I lowered myself onto another branch. I dropped and dug my claws into the deer.

It yelped and blood rose from its skin. It bucked, trying to throw me off. I was about to kill it when I heard a noise. I let the deer escape and it loped off, crying in pain as it went. Maybe I could find it later.

I heard quiet footsteps, two footed steps. Looks like a tourist got a little too far from their group. Time to warn them. The human came out behind a tree. He looked around my age of eighteen, was very muscle-y and had bright blue eyes. His red hair stood out against the bright green of the trees. It felt like I've seen him before. When his eyes landed on me, he stilled.

Oh my god, it was him.

The boy was a Searcher and he had saved my life a year ago.

I got flashes of it when I glanced at him.

_I was lying on the ground, blood soaking my fur. I had then shifted back to human form. The dark brown leopard purred and bared its teeth at me, dripping with my blood. _

_The boy came, his bright blue eyes glowing at me. The leopard charged him._

_The leopard was dead, its blood soaking the ground._

_I fell asleep. _

I tensed as I saw him. He pulled out a sword, his eyes on mine. Was he going to fight me? I growled at him, backing away from him slowly. I didn't want to fight him, not after he saved me. I didn't want to kill him. I ran from him, jumping into the welcoming branches of the trees.

**Author's Note: I hope you like my fanfiction! If you like it, please give feedback! Also, I don't know how to post seperate chapters so feel free to help! Thanks! **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Where I lived with my parents was on the outskirts of Tulum, so we were always close enough to protect the Eydis site. The other Guardians lived nearby but not too close. Panthers are very solitary and we don't like being really close to each other. We respected distance.

Luckily, there were no humans that lived nearby or else we would be getting a lot of calls of large and dangerous felines on the loose. I found my brother Stefan lying in his cat form on the front deck. His jewel green eyes glowed at me, surrounded by pitch black fur. He shifted and my brother grinned at me. "Another boring day on the job?" he asked, stretching. I nodded and pushed open the screen door.

I found my father sprawled on the couch asleep, a beer bottle in his hand. He snored softly. I carefully took his beer bottle and chucked in into the garbage. Mom was at the counter, preparing supper. She was losing patience with the can opener, trying to open tomato sauce. She willed her nail on her index finger to sharpen into claws and she plunged it into the can. I laughed and she turned, smiling. "Getting impatient with the can opener again?" I asked, shaking my head.

She nodded. "Well, I know claws can do so much better."

I laughed again. "That's true."

I turned to go to my room. "Oh. Melaina? One of your friends is waiting for you in your room," she said cheerfully. When I looked back at her, there was concern in her expression. Just by that, I knew it wasn't Ariana, my best friend.

It was someone else.

I walked up the stairs, body tense. I opened the door to my bedroom. Lying on the bed was Michael, one of the Keepers in charge. His dark brown eyes surveyed me and he smiled. "No need to be tense, Melaina. Come here," he said, opening his arms.

I grudgingly walked to him and sat on the bed. He touched my face and I jerked away. Michael favoured me. But he also favoured my best friend. The only way to protect her from him was to distract him. He gripped my chin so I wouldn't move. He touched my face again. I looked at my hands which were gripped into fists. I flexed them and I saw my nails lengthen into claws. I so wanted to claw Michael right now but I couldn't. Killing him would mean death for me and others.

I knew what Michael saw. My black hair that went down to my waist. Amber eyes that now had vertical slits as pupils. That only happened when I willed it or if I was scared. It was an instinct.

I stared directly at Michael and smiled, baring fangs. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. I felt his heartbeat stutter slightly in his hands. I purred in pleasure.

He kissed me forcefully, holding my face so I wouldn't escape. I had to do this. For Ariana. I let him kiss me, not resisting. His hands wandered and I had to hold on to all of my self control not to kill him then and there.

Time passed and he left, smiling. I laid down on my bed, drained of energy. I had no problem with my life. I went to a nice school, had a couple of friends, good parents. But with having a human body, I was vulnerable to the Keepers' tastes, especially Michael's. I loved being in my cat form. It was a way of escape from Michael and other troubles. There was freedom in the forest of Tulum. I was so tempted to run but I couldn't. Not without leaving the people that I loved vulnerable.

Being a black panther was a part of me and I would never give it up.

I would give up being human forever if I could.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I quickly stuffed a piece of toast into my mouth and grabbed my mug of espresso. Stefan had gone back to his home, back to his mate, Sylvia.

I stuffed the mug into my bag and grabbed my helmet. I admired my sleek black motorcycle as I exited the house. I shoved the helmet onto my head. The engine purred when I started my bike. I purred in pleasure. I loved my bike. With the wind in my face, I felt like I was flying, free like the birds.

High heeled boots weren't exactly the smartest choice to wear when riding a motorcycle. My feet kept on sliding off the bike.

I pulled up to my school called Tulum Academy. It was a very nice school and even provided boarding. Everything in the school was top of the line and state of the art. I took of my helmet and shook out my hair. A human boy, named Cole, whistled at me and gave me a smirk. I could smell the desire off him. It was disgusting.

I bared my teeth at him in a snarl, my teeth lengthening. Cole's smirk disappeared and his pupils slightly dilated in fear. I could smell how scared he was as he hurried inside. I spotted Ariana near the entrance. I put up the kickstand and walked towards her. She grinned, her blond hair bright in the sunlight and her gray eyes glittered mischievously.

Like how being a red head was rare in humans, being a black panther was rare also. Almost all of the Guardians were different colours but not completely black like my brother and I.

"Did Michael visit you?" I whispered in Ariana's ear. I know that he hasn't yet but he could have visited her after he came to me. Thankfully, she shook her head. I sighed in relief. Once we entered the school, I noticed that something was different. Besides the usual smell of fear and teenage hormones, there was a hint of curiosity. I tuned in a conversation of a couple of human girls.

"Yeah, there's this new guy. He's a senior and totally hot. His name's Kyle, or that's what I heard anyway," one girl said, indulging her friend. They both giggled and headed to their class. I looked over at Ariana but she shrugged. She hasn't seen the new boy either. I have to admit, I was a bit curious too. Tulum Academy rarely got new students. Especially a senior.

An arm wrapped around my waist and I turned to find Sam, grinning my favourite devilish grin. His dark brown hair was mussed slightly, almost as if he just rolled out of bed. Knowing Sam, he probably just did. Ariana rolled her eyes at us and left to go to her class.

Sam was my chosen mate after we graduated. It helped that he was my other best friend instead of a Guardian that I barely knew. I patted his cheek and he rumbled in pleasure.

I noticed lately that his attitude towards me has been changing. It had gone from friendly behaviour to flirty behaviour. It didn't really surprise me though. As cats, we liked to play with each other. It was just the way we are.

I hooked a finger in his t-shirt and kissed him chastely on the lips. I was allowed that. But I wasn't allowed to fool around or anything. I wasn't one to fool around anyway. It was foolish.

Sam tried to pull me to him but I darted away laughing. He laughed and he chased me down the hall. I stopped near my first class and he caught me, taking me in his arms. I could feel the human's stares. I could smell Sam's scent but also something else. I turned before Sam could steal a kiss and found the person.

It was him.

The Searcher.

Sam turned and he hissed under his breath. "Who's that? Is that a Searcher?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded. "I think so."

"Are we going to report him?"

"We should. But let's see if he causes any trouble first."

Sam nodded, getting my meaning. If the Searcher decided to attack, we would kill him or report him to the Keepers. I knew that not all of the Keepers were good but the Searchers were worse. They wanted to use the sacred sites of the Keepers to control the world.

Sam's pupils turned to vertical slits. I could see the lengthening fangs in his mouth. I put a hand on his cheek and his pupils rounded, returning to normal. He smiled at me and kissed me goodbye.

I headed to my class and dropped down in my chair. In this class, the students shared tables with each other. I sat alone since the humans were too scared to sit beside me. They knew that there was something off about, something not quite human. The history teacher, Mr. Lyons, was standing beside the Searcher and I stifled a groan. He was in my class.

Mr. Lyons gestured to where I sat. "You can go sit by Miss Pantheras."

I clenched my fists. I didn't look him in the eye, I just kept my eyes trained on my notes as I wrote them. The scent of magic was evident on him, it made my nose wrinkle slightly.

But there was another scent in there too. A tiny bit of a human scent.

I peered at him behind my lashes and found him staring at me. He held out his hand. "I'm Kyle," he said. I grasped his hand firmly, letting one of my claws press into his skin. There was no response of fear, or apprehension. His pulse stuttered in his hand in maybe nervousness. I gave him a smug smile. "I'm Melaina. Nice to meet you."

He smiled back and my heart went to my throat. God, he was good looking. Throughout the entire class, I tried to not stare at him. I pressed a nail into my palm so I could focus. But I could feel his eyes on me. My skin twitched and stared at the clock. Once the bell rang, I was out in a flash.

The rest of the day went by easily. I didn't see Kyle for the rest of the day. It helped that my last class was gym so I could loosen up. I could barely contain my excitement when the gym teacher told us we were climbing the rope today. When it was my turn, I easily jumped and grabbed the rope. I let myself take my time because I knew if I went faster, people would look at me strange. More so than usual.

When the bell rang, I was at the top of the rope. Everyone cleared out including the teacher. I let go of the rope and I descended. I landed quietly and smiled. I gave myself a luxurious stretch, got my things and headed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After dropping my stuff off at home, I shifted into cat form and raced for the forest. I went to my clearing, where I usually guarded. Lately, the shifts have been increasing on guarding Eydis. The Keepers seemed on edge as if something terrible was coming. They had scheduled a summons tonight at 6:30.

I could smell other Guardians nearby, guarding the _cenote, _which is Eydis. I shifted back to human form and hid in the shadows. Just like I expected, Kyle the Searcher came back, but there was no sword at his waist. He came unarmed. That was foolish. He was a dead man walking. He stopped in the middle of the clearing and said in a whisper; "I know you're here. Come out."

There was a surprise waiting for him. Shifting, I scaled the tree and jumped from tree to tree until I was directly behind him. I sat back on my haunches. I leaped, claws unsheathed. We collided and hit the forest floor. He turned so his eyes directly into mine. I hissed, baring my fangs at him. He didn't look fazed at all. I yowled in protest and my claws dug into his shoulders.

I wanted him to know how his life was in my hands. I could be his life or death. His hands on my paws shocked me so much that I shifted back to human form.

I was too aware of how close we were and how my body melted against his. His hands slid up my arms to hold my face. He pulled me down and our lips met. It was a tentative, careful kiss. I could feel Kyle gauging my reaction. We rolled in the grass until I was beneath him. His lips moved to my neck and I closed my eyes.

I felt so at home in Kyle's arms and yet I barely knew him. The thought felt like ice water on my skin. I scrambled from underneath him and backed away. I bared fangs at him to keep him at bay. "Get away from me," I said, not bothering to hide the growl in my voice. He raised a hand to placate me.

"There are so many things you don't know Melaina. The Keepers have been lying to you and using you and the Guardians as their slaves. You probably know this better than anyone."

How did he know about Michael? Maybe it was because I was jaded, but it wasn't hard for me to believe him. My ears pricked to the sound of approaching paws and they were coming fast. I ran up to him and started pushing him away.

"Go! A Guardian is coming. Go!"

"Can we meet up? Please Melaina. Promise me or else I'm not leaving," he said, crossing his arms stubbornly.

I threw my hands in the air. "Yes, fine, I'll meet you. Now go!" I said frustrated. Once he was gone, I sat down, my hands going through my hair. I shifted back to cat form and jumped into the trees. I ran back home, stumbling into the house with shaky legs.

I jumped into the shower and scrubbed at my skin frantically, trying to clean Kyle's scent off me. As I scrubbed, I remembered the Searchers scent. Besides the magic on his skin, he smelled of an ocean breeze. There was something else too but it was such a small scent that I couldn't remember what it was.

Once I was thoroughly clean, I got back in my clothes and lay on my bed, finishing up homework. I was on my last question when my mom called up, telling me I had a visitor and she was sending him up.

I hoped that it wasn't Michael. If he came, I would probably kill him. Every day, the urge to kill him got stronger. I had to admit that I sacrificed a lot so he wouldn't visit Ariana. When my bedroom door opened, it revealed Sam. I sighed in relief and shut my homework books and threw them towards my school bag. His eyes roved over my face and his eyebrows scrunched. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting on the bed beside me.

I closed my eyes and before I could think, I was telling him about Michael and his visits. As I went on, Sam got madder and madder, a steady growl coming out of him. He was about to bolt. I closed the door. I glanced over at him to see if he noticed but he was too wrapped up in his own anger to protest. He stood from my bed and proceeded to the door. I blocked him, throwing my arms wide. He bared fangs at me and hissed. I walked towards him and he instinctively backed up. I backed him up until he fell onto my bed. I had to keep him distracted. But how? I couldn't fight him, it would be chaos and my mom would come upstairs.

There was only one way. Grabbing his shoulders, I pushed him down on the bed, me hovering over him. Sensing my hesitation, Sam grabbed me and pulled me under him, smiling a grin full of fangs. He kissed me, his hands roaming freely over my body.

I felt strange kissing my other best friend like this. It almost felt wrong. I could tell that Sam didn't feel that way. It didn't mean that I didn't enjoy being with Sam, it was just that it didn't feel right. I knew that being mates didn't mean that we were in love or anything since it was predetermined by our masters. But mates should have been that. Being with Kyle gave me freedom that I didn't have. The Searchers sounded to be more of my allies than the Keepers.

I needed to know more. According to Kyle, all the Keepers have told us were lies. All of this I processed as Sam kissed me. I returned to myself and squeezed his biceps. I pulled away and looked up at him. I looked over at the time. It was 6. "You have to go. Don't want to be late for the summons," I said. He smiled and kissed the underside of my jaw. "Okay, see ya Mel." He exited my room in a hurry. I sighed and laid back on my bed. I was glad to be alone.

I felt like I was being smothered by all of the company I had. I grabbed my IPod and stuffed my earbuds in. A Killers song played loudly, echoing in my brain. Music was a great way to relax. It blocked out the outside world and let you have peace in your mind. I let my clothes shoot in and out, entertaining myself in the small text.

My mom yelled from downstairs. "Come on Melaina. You know we can't keep the Keepers waiting!" With that, I scrambled out of my room and grabbed my leather jacket. We gathered at the _cenote_, the Keepers standing tall and proud. I felt Michael's eyes on me as I walked through the crowd of Guardians. I found Ariana and hugged her. Once everyone was gathered, Michael started the summons. "Dear Guardians, war has come upon us." Just at the mention of war, everyone moved restlessly. My muscles twitched in excitement, just thinking of a fight.

"The Searchers have already stolen the pieces of the Elemental Cross from us, the one from Haldis and the one from Tordis. We have been alerted that the Scion along with the turncoat Guardians of Haldis is coming to retrieve the water hilt, Eydis."

All of this was news to me. I have heard murmurs of the Scion, the descendant of a traitor Keeper that would be the end of them. I didn't know what the Elemental Cross was though. And the Guardians of Haldis? There were other Guardians?

Michael raised his hands. "Yes, there are other Guardians. The Guardians of Tordis are bears and the Guardians of Haldis are wolves."

Wolves. Yuck. I needed answers from Kyle.

"The attack is presumed to be tomorrow. Be ready. That will be all."

We left and my doubts about the Searchers vanished. Guardians were fighting on the wrong side of the Witches' War. We needed to fight for our freedom or die trying.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I ditched school the next day, spending the day in the jungle. Kyle found me reclining in my tree as a human. He put a hand over his eyebrows, shading his eyes so he could see me. I jumped down, landing easily. "I want to know everything, Kyle. And if we can, I want to help them get Eydis. Then when the final battle comes, I'm gonna be there," I said, crossing my arms, challenging him to say otherwise. All he did was grin. He swung me up in his arms and whirled me around. I laughed and held on to him. He grabbed my hand and started to walk out of the forest, towards a ramshackle house that looked like it was going to collapse at any minute.

We walked along the white sand, listening to the sounds of the ocean waves lapping at the sand. He gave me a watered down version of our real history. I was amazed with all of the lies that the Keepers had fabricated.

There were boats tied to docks around the house and they bobbed with the surf. Kyle opened the door and told me to wait. Once he disappeared through the door, it swung open again, revealing a young man with curly black hair with sparkling eyes. He aimed a crossbow at me. By instinct, I shifted and crouched, baring my fangs at him.

"Miguel, don't shoot! She's with us!" I heard Kyle yell somewhere inside the cabin. The Searcher named Miguel lowered his crossbow and I eyed him warily. I shifted back to human form and went by him to get in the house. Our arms brushed and our eyes met. His eyes were wary but there was happiness in them. I gave him an uncertain smile and found Kyle. I grabbed his hand, twining our fingers. He smiled at me, his eyes warming as he gazed at me. I smiled back and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Another young man, who looked like a surf god more than a Searcher, eyed me as he stuffed his face with food. He winked at me and kept eating. A woman approached me and smiled, taking my hand. "So you'll be helping us then. That's good but you realize we cannot fully trust you until you prove your allegiance."

I nodded. "I understand. I have no love for the Keepers since one tried to kill me a year ago. Kyle saved me that day."

The woman raised a questioning eyebrow at Kyle. He shrank from her gaze but all he said was; "The Keeper made another Guardian attack her for resisting his advances."

I shuddered at the memory of the leopard clawing at me, drawing blood. Even today, I could still smell traces of it in the soil. "I'm Inez," the woman said and went to get herself something to eat. After, she handed me a plate with fish and _sopas_. It was one of the most delicious meals I had ever had. Once everyone was gathered, Inez laid out the plan for me. "So the Scion is expected to come tomorrow with other Guardians. I'm afraid you're not going to meet them but you will be able to see them. Your job is to keep the other Guardians away from the cenote while they get Eydis. It may seem like a small task for you but it is essential. Do you accept this task?"

I nodded. It was time to rid the world of the Keepers. They manipulated everyone just because they could. They used Guardians to satisfy their pleasures and we couldn't do anything about it unless we wanted to get killed and others too. It would be cool to finally see this Scion and the Guardians of Haldis.

"Do you need me to try to sway some of the other Guardians?" I asked them.

Inez shrugged. "It would be nice but at a time like this, you almost don't want to take the risk. We're at war now, hon." I ducked my head. I did want to try to help free the other Guardians but most of them were too blind to our masters' evil. Their loyalty was absolute and wouldn't be broken. I could probably only sway the ones that already knew of their faults. Like Ariana or Sam. But it was hard to determine if they would fight with me.

The surf god slapped my shoulder. "Glad you're on our team, she-cat. We could use the help." I smiled at him. Already I felt free. I was finally able to choose my fate.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kyle and I hid in the forest, close to the scuba shop. There was the shimmering of a portal and wolves appeared, running at the sides of Searchers. There was a boy that looked my age with golden brown hair with a sword strapped to his back. I could see his moss green eyes flitting around, being watchful. He was beautiful, very much so. I could smell wolf on him. He was also a Guardian. But it felt like it didn't affect me. I was already in love with someone else. The thought pulled me up short. In love. I was in love with Kyle.

I watched the wolves shift as Inez welcomed them. There was a large charcoal wolf that shifted into another really hot guy with dark hair and eyes that looked like the night sky. Then there was the white wolf with bright golden yellow eyes. When the wolf shifted, it was a girl my age as well, with hair as white as her fur and the same gold eyes. She was also beautiful. All of the wolves were good looking. But then again, all of the panther Guardians were good looking except maybe me, but I knew that everyone felt like they weren't good looking.

The Scion's name was Shay, the white wolf was Calla and the wolf with the sky eyes was Ren. As I studied them, I realized that the three of them were obviously alpha wolves. You could tell by the way they held themselves with such sureness and authority for ones so young. Panthers didn't exactly have alphas or leaders. We were solitary so we didn't need a leader. The wolves didn't smell bad either, all they had was a musk smell that wasn't gross smelling.

Kyle and I withdrew from our hiding spot and headed to the _cenote_. We waited there for a while, Kyle with his sword drawn and me in cat form. My ears turned and swivelled, listening in for any incoming threats. I heard a yowl from above and a gold body slammed into me.

_Mel, what are you doing with a Searcher? They're the bad guys remember? _Ariana demanded.

_We're fighting on the wrong side, Ari. The Keepers have lied to us forever. The Searchers are the good guys and want to return nature back to its natural balance. _

_What? _She yowled in surprise and backed away from me. Her hackles rose. _They have lied to us? Why?_

_So we would serve them with absolute loyalty. If we don't know anything except what they told us, we are ignorant to what we're doing._

Kyle was fighting off another Guardian, one that I met only a couple of times. He stabbed it in the chest and it screamed and went limb. The scent of blood was fresh in the air, making me more edgy. Kyle looked over at me, questions in his eyes. I gave a shake of my head. Ariana stared deep in my eyes, contemplating something. _You're in love with the Searcher, aren't you?_

_Yes._

_Does he know?_

_Not yet, unfortunately. _

_Well, you have to tell him! We're at war Mel! _

_So will you help us?_

_Yes of course I am! But you have to tell him!_

I sent my sigh to her and she laughed_. _The water in the cenote bubbled and rose. The water went over our paws. Kyle looked over at us. "Time to go! They have Eydis. The other Guardians will probably attack once they're out!"

We shifted to human form and followed him. Through the trees, I could see a boat fastely approaching the dock. Waiting at the dock, two people reclined in chairs, totally at ease. Inez and Miguel were also in chairs but in the shade, so we couldn't fully see them. A breeze blew my way and I swore. There was blood and a lot of it. I glanced at Kyle. "Inez and Miguel are dead. And those two," gesturing to the waving couple, "are Guardians who killed them."

Kyle paled considerably and he increased our pace. We watched as a Guardian descended from the trees and landed on the surf god Searcher, breaking his neck. More Guardians descended from the trees, filling the air with wicked purring. I saw Calla the white wolf face off against Stefan. He got wounded and fled to the forest. We fought off Guardians as we went. Kyle swore and withdrew two slender spikes from his belt that I didn't notice. He began to perform a dance, lights emerging from the ends of the spikes. It looked like he was weaving something. A square opened. It looked like a portal of some kind. He grabbed us and threw us to the other side.


End file.
